Clay gun piston position indicating means



Oct.v 1l, 1932. A GlESE, JR 1,881,479

` CLAY GUN PISTON FOSITION NDICATING MEANS Filed Sept. 24. 1951 Leg.-

Patented Oct. 11, 1932 PATENT OFFICE- AUGUST F. GIESE, JR., OF GARY, INDIANA CLAY GUN PISTON POSITION INDICATING MEANS Application filed september 24, 1931. sei-iai No. 564,788.

This invention relates to clay guns and concerns particularly a simple arrangement whereby the position of the piston within the ,Y K cylinder and thereby the clay contents of the k5 cylinder may be determined at any time at the gun or at a point remote therefrom.

In the operation of clay guns, it is quite important to know at all times the quantity of clay available in the cylinder and also to flo gage the quantity of clay ejected from the cylinder for the proper plugging of a furnaceJ tapping hole. 1t is also important to check the movement of the piston so that it will not strike or engage with pressure against the 'fw end of the cylinder and thereby unnecessarily strain or injure the piston driving mechanism. In accordance with my invention, I provide means for indicating at the exterior of the gun the location of the piston within the cylinder and I may accomplish this in a simple manner by means of a pointer supported to follow the reciprocating movement of the piston to indicate on a scale calibrated to represent the path of the piston. `Where it is desired to determine, at a point remote from the gun, the position of the piston therein, electrically operated indicating devices such as lamps may be utilized and the circuit therefor controlled by switch mechanisms operated by the movement of the gun piston.

My improved indicating arrangement is incorporated in the structure disclosed on the drawing, in which drawing Figure 1 is a vertical diametral section of a clay gun showing the indicating arrangement applied thereto; and

Figure 2 is an enlarged view of the screw end of the gun to more clearly show the indicating arrangement.

The gun shown is of the .type disclosed in my co-pending application Serial No. 562,- 034,1iled September 1931, in which adrive screw for the piston is held against rotational movement and is shifted axially by the rotation of a nut having threaded engagement therewith. Briefly, the gun structure shown lcomprises the cylinder 10 vhaving the discharge nozzle 11 at one end and ahead structure 12 at its other end. A piston 13 is reciprocable in the cylinder and has rigidly secured thereto the screw 14 which extends outwardly through the head 12. The head structure forms venclosure for the driving elements for` the screw. These driving elements comprise a nut 15 having screw threaded engagement with the screw and jvournalled in the head 12 by ball bearing structures 16 and 17. The pistonand screw are held against rotational movement relative to the cylinder' as by means of side channels X in the. cylinder and lugs Y extending from the sides of the piston. Between the bearing structures the nut has the iiange 18 to' which is secured the vworm gear 19. The extension 12" on the head 12 encloses the worm 2O on the shaft 21 j ournalled in the sides ofthe extensions 12". On a platform 22 extending from the head 12 is mounted an electric motor 23 connected by a driving train 24k with the worm shaft 21 so that as the motor operates the nut 15 will be rotated to cause slow and powerful axial movement of the screw 14 to shift the piston in the cylinder for the ejection of clay therefrom through the nozzle 11. For charg- 1 ing clay into the cylinder, outer and inner holes 25 and 26 are` provided and adapted to be closed by cover structures 27.

A limit switch 28 driven by the motor through a transmission train 29 may be provided for controlling the motor circuit to stopv the motor and thereby the piston when the piston reaches the ends of its stroke so as to prevent pressure contact of the piston Y with the cylinder ends.y However, it is desirable and important to know at any time the intermediate positions of the piston, as, from the position of the piston in the cylinder, the amount of clay discharged from or still remaining in the cylinderV may be accurately determined. For example, if the cylinder when filled contains a certain volume of clay, and it is desired to project a certain volume of clay for the proper plugging of a tapping hole, the piston when movedY a certain distance will cause discharge of the required volume. By knowing from the exterior of the gun the exact location of the piston therein the movement of the pist-on may be accurately regulated for the proper discharge of clay from the gun.

As in the gun structure shown the screw 14 does not rotate but moves only axially, a simple position location indicating means would be a pointer 30 secured to the outer end of the screw and a scale 31 in the path of the pointer with the scale calibrated to indicate the path of the piston. Where the outer' end of the screw is protected by a stationary housing 32, the scale 31 could be supported from this housing and the housing provided with a slot 33 through which the pointer extends. The scale could be calibrated to indicate the quarter, half, three-quarter, and end positions of the piston, or could be calibrated for any desired positions of the piston, so that when the pointer passes along the scale as the piston is reciprocated, it will indicate on the scale the exact location at any time of the piston.

Instead of the pointer and scale, or in addition thereto, electrically controlled indicating means may be provided such as lamps L, and these lamps could be located on the gun structure or at some point remote therefrom. In the arrangement shown, I have mounted a row of Contact strips onrthe scale 3l to be engaged by a contact 34 on the pointer 30. I have shown end contacts C and C and four intermediate contacts Cl, C2, C3, and C4. These contact strips are insulated from the dial and are insulated 'from each other by intervening insulation 35. The dial could of course be of insulating material and the contact strips separated by air gaps. The end contact strips C and C are comparatively short and correspond to the inner and outer positions of the piston in the gun cylinder. The intermediate contacts C1, C2, C8, and C4 correspond with the travel of the piston through the our quarters of its stroke. It is understood of course that different subdivisions could be provided.

In the arrangement shown, the lamps L and L5 are connected from one terminal thereof with the end contact strips C and C respectively, while the lamps L1, L2, L3 and Ll' are connected with the contact strips C1, C2, C3 and C4 respectively. The other terminals of all of the lamps are connected with a ,current supply conductor 35 coniiect-ed with acurrent supply source such as a battery B, or the saine source which supplies the motor 23. The other terminal of the battery is connected through a suitable switch 37 with the framework of the gun as for example the 'screw housing 32, and the Contact 34 on the `pointer 30 is connected through the pointer with the screw and consequently the gunV Vi'ranieworlr. Upon closure of the switch 37, the electrical indicating system will-function. When the piston is at the inner end of tliecylinder, the contact 34 will be in engagelamp L will be illuminated to indicate such position ot the piston. The contact 34 may be of a length greater than the insulation width between the contact strips and then as the piston moves outwardly and the Contact 34 engages the contact strip C1, both the lamps L and L1 will be momentarily illuininated to indicate to the operator that the piston is starting its travel along the first quarter ofits path. l/Vhen the contact engages only with the strip C', only lamp L will be illuminated until the contact reachesI over to the Contact strip C2 when both lamps L1` and L2 will be illustrated to indicate that the piston is starting on the second quarter oi its travel. rlhe entrance into and travel ot the piston over its respective quarter is thus indicated by the lamp and when the contact 34 finally reaches the eiid contact C, the lamp L5 will illuminate to indicate that the-A strip has reached the outer end of its path. The outer end of the pointer 30 will accurately indicate on the scale the travel and positions of the piston lwithin the cylinder'. The lamps may be properly mounted directly 90 on the gun structure or adjacent thereto, or at seme remote point. When the piston reaches a desired point in the cylinder, the motor circuit is opened and the motor stops. For example, suppose that the cylinder has been entirely lilled with clay and it is esti-W mated that half of the contents should be ejected ier the proper plugging of a furnace tapping hole. The motor is started and when .the indicating means show that the piston 100 has reached its half-way point, the mot-or circuit is opened. When the time limit switch -28 is used, the motor will of course be automatically disconnected and the piston stopped at the end of its stroke before it will come intoharmful pressure engagement with the end of the cylinder. When the cylinder is empty and only a small quantity of clay is to be ejected, the piston can first be moved outwardly for the desired volume of clay and..4 then clay filled into the cylinder through the outer filling hole 25. If, after a` complete discharge of the gun, it is necessary that additional quantity of cla-y be ejected, the piston may be drawn inwardly a distance dei-.i pending upon the additional volume desired and then clay illed in in front of the piston through the outer filling hole 25, thus avoiding the necessity of moving the piston entirely back to theinner end of its strolrd Of course, when a full capacity discharge el.`l clay is desire-d, clay can be filled in through both the outer and inner holes 25 and 26.

Ihave shown a practical and efficient embodiment et my invention but yIy dio-not desire to be limited to the details disclosed as out departing from the scope of the invention Y as outlined in the appended claims. 65 ment with the end contact strip C and thev I claim as `follows:

l. In a clay gun, the combination of a cylinder and a piston reciprocable therein for ejeeting clay therefrom, a driving member for said piston, an indicating member moving in synchronism with said piston, and a scale providing indications corresponding with the positions of the piston within the cylinder, said indicating member traveling with the piston to indicate on the scale the positions of the piston in the cylinder.

2. In a clay gun, the combination of a cylinder, a piston reciprocable therein for ejecting clay therefrom, a screw connected with said piston and held against rotational movement, a driving nut engaging the screw and means for rotating said nut to cause axial movement of said screw and piston, a pointer on said screw, and a scale in the path of the pointer with which the pointer cooperates to indicate the position of the piston within the cylinder during operation of the gun.

3. The combination with a clay gun comprising a cylinder and a piston shiftable therein for the ejection of clay therefrom, of indicating means at a point remote from said gun for indicating the travel and the position of said piston in said cylinder.

4. The combination with a clay gun comprising a cylinder and a piston shiftable therein for ejecting clay therefrom, of electrical indicating devices and electrical circuits therefor, and switch mechanisms for said circuits operated in synchronism with the travel of the piston in the cylinder to control said circuits for indication by said indi"- cating devices of the travel and position of the piston in the cylinder.

5. The combination with a clay gun comprising a cylinder, a piston reciprocable in said cylinder for ejection of clay therefrom, and driving means for said piston, of a series of contacts corresponding in position to the positions of the piston Within the cylinder, a. contact movable with the driving mechanism for the piston, electrical circuits including said contacts, and electrical indicating devices in said circuits for indicating the travel and positions of the piston in the cylinder during operation of the gun.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name at Gary, Lake County,

Indiana.

AUGUST F. GIESE, JR. 

